Merry Christmas my fellow Ibarakians! It is that time of year to be merry, joyful, and to enjoy some great food in the process. What better place to do that than at Tsukuba's own Penny Lane!
Ok, I know this place didn't start in Ibaraki, it actually started in Tochigi but hear me out. This place sells delicious bread, has amazing food in their restaurant, has a small dog park and plays Beatles songs all day long. I have been going to this place since it opened in Tsukuba and it is always a joy to go there. This bakery/restaurant/friendly dog park/ Beatlemania place I am talking about is a most try in Tsukuba.
Penny Lane
Penny Lane is located at Tsukuba AEON. If you go all the way to the right side of AEON mall, you can't miss it. Penny Lane is not inside AEON mall, it is its own place. When you walk up to Penny Lane the first thing you will hear is a Beatles song playing over a loudspeaker in the dog park area.
Usually during this time of the year, Penny Lane has Christmas lights up for everyone to enjoy. Unfortunately, this year there aren't any which was a bit disappointing. But there are still plenty of things around the bakery and restaurant to check out and plenty of Christmas cheer to be had.
Dog Park and Cafe
The dog park is pretty small compared to the original restaurant in Nasu, Tochigi, but it is a nice little dog park where you can unleash your dog and let them run around. There is also a dog cafe area where you can buy treats for your dog and the both of you can sit at an outside table just enjoying the day. If you look around outside, there is Beatles stuff all over the outside area of Penny Lane.
Picture Opportunities
There are a lot of things around the restaurant to do. There are pictures to take of Beatles signs and small dog park areas to let your dog run around. After you finish looking around outside, walk through the main entrance and check out the bakery.
The Bakery
The bakery in Penny Lane is pretty big. There are a lot of different types of breads to choose from. You can go for the very famous blueberry loaf which I can say from experience, it is delicious and a great toast for breakfast, or the cheese pastry which is a great pastry to have for breakfast as well. My goto item in the bakery is the panini. I don't know what it is about this panini but it is addicting. It is cheap and a bit flat, but I can't stop eating it. I always try to buy three or four whenever I visit the bakery. If you buy any bread or desserts from the bakery, you can eat them in the restaurant or take them home with you. Speaking of the restaurant.
The Restaurant
The restaurant area reminds me of a huge British pub. (Mind you I haven't been to many British pubs.) There is a huge bar area filled with liquor, a cake display area for all your cake loving needs, awesome sofas and tables to sit in, and Beatles regalia all around the restaurant. If you go during the weekday the restaurant is pretty quiet, but during the weekend it is chaotic so be prepared for that. My wife and I recently went on a quiet Tuesday night a few weeks ago and sat in awesome sofa chairs that made us feel like bosses.
A Giant Expresso Moca Drink
The food and drink menu at Pennylane is pretty long. You have a lot of choices when it comes to food, drinks and liquor. I have never tried the cocktails or other alcoholic drinks at Pennylane so I can't really comment on them. But I have tried the coffee on more than one occasion and I like it. The last time I went with my wife, we ordered a huge Expresso Moca ice drink. This drink was huge! I had to strain my neck a little just to reach the straw. It was great but I think the other coffee drinks in Penny Lane are better.
Beef Stew
The most famous menu item in Penny Lane is the beef stew. We ordered the regular beef stew but I believe you can get the beef stew in a bread bowl. Once the beef stew came to our table, I grabbed a piece of beef with my fork and took a bite. Oh man, that beef, tender, savory, delicious. It was so good I couldn't form a proper sentence. The stew was really good but the beef is what really took the show. I am sure the beef was cooked in a crackpot all day because it was extremely soft and shredded. You have to try this stew if you come visit. It is a bit expensive in my opinion, but after three weeks of trying the beef stew, I still fondly think about that amazing beef.
Cheese Fondue
Thank you Switzerland for introducing the world to something so heavenly, something so delicious, that it brings tears of joy to my eyes whenever I have a chance to eat it. Cheese Fondue is not only delicious but fun. Dipping anything in cheese, yeah count me in. Dipping sausage in a cheese fondue bread bowl, am I dreaming? Pennylane says no, you aren't dreaming, enjoy the cheese covered sausage. The Ibaraki Eats Duo loved this cheese fondue. We both loved dipping all the bread, vegetables and sausage in that cheese. The best part was at the end with the bread bowl. It soaked up all the cheese so the bread was really soft and warm with cheese dripping down whenever I bit into it. It was cheesy heaven. Be for warned though, calculate your usual carbohydrate in take, then triple it. The cheese fondue has a lot of bread. More than my wife and I could handle. I highly suggest ordering this with four people in your party, but definitely order it.
Don't forget to take a picture with Santa
On your way in or out of Pennylane, don't forget to take a picture with the lifesize Santa. Let him know what you want for Christmas. I believe he will be sitting on that bench till January. If you need a Christmas cake for that special someone, not to worry, Penny Lane has you covered. Just place your order at the cake counter and you're good to go.
Pennylane is a real treat in Tsukuba. The bread at the bakery is awesome and the restaurant has some amazing food. It is a bit pricey but I always enjoy myself whenever I go there, and will continue to go there to get my cheese fondue and panini fix.
So if you are in the mood for some great bread and are a Beatle maniac, why not give Penny Lane a chance. Who knows, you might see me there, definitely having the cheese fondue with a bag full of paninis to go.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
For more information on Pennylane, check out their website:
https://pennylane.company/bakery/bakery-tsukuba
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